Over 50,000 remain in shelters in Gaza

United Nations: At least 54,000 people still remained in 78 United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) shelters in Gaza Strip, a UN official said.

Stephane Dujarric, a UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here, quoting a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) that about 233,000 displaced people had left shelters in as of Wednesday afternoon, Xinhua reported.

The OCHA report came after Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agreed Tuesday to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire deal to end the 50-day long conflict.

During the conflict, Palestinians sought refuge in UN schools in Gaza. Thousands of residents returned to their homes Wednesday, Dujarric said.

More than 2,000 Palestinians were killed and 10,000 injured since July 8 when Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in a bid to stamp out cross-border rocket fire from Hamas-ruled Gaza. On the Israeli side, five civilians and 64 soldiers were killed.